The Iron Bowl rivalry is heating up on the recruiting trail this week. Opelika four-star cornerback Stephen Roberts has flipped his commitment from Alabama to Auburn, according to Opelika head coach Brian Blackmon.

"Stephen has changed his commitment from Alabama to Auburn," Blackmon said. "He decided this morning."

Roberts, a 6-foot, 177-pound prospect had been committed to Alabama
since April 24 but has visited Auburn frequently this season. Roberts'
Opelika teammate, tight end/linebacker Jakell Mitchell, is also
committed to Auburn. Blackmon said Roberts first began discussing flipping his commitment when he arrived at school on Monday.

"First I got wind of it was Monday. He and I talked about it and I asked him where this was coming from and if he was sure this was the decision he wanted to make. He said he thought he had a chance to play early, it was close to home, and he had built a relationship with Coach Harbison and some of the other Auburn coaches.

"I asked him why he chose Alabama in the first place and his answer was at that time that's how he felt. They have a great program that consistently wins championships. At that time, Auburn was an unknown. He didn't know their coaching staff and how good they were going to be. They had to prove themselves a little bit."

"We made sure he handle it the right way. He contacted Alabama, talked with his parents, prayed about it and made sure this was a final decision. This is hopefully going to be the end of this thing."

Blackmon said he typically discourages his players from decommitting or flipping commitments between schools but said the decision was ultimately Roberts' and that he understands the complexities of major college recruiting.

"We've talked a lot about commitment. I wish we didn't call it a 'commitment' anymore. We need a different name for it. These kids, especially in the SEC, when they make a commitment, it doesn't mean people stop recruiting you and it doesn't mean the schools are always going to stay committed to those players either. At the end of the day, he's the one that has to spend four years there and it's his decision. He's got to build those relationships and make up his own mind."

Blackmon said he believes his star player will have a strong chance to compete for early playing time at Auburn when he arrives next year.

"I think they are thin in the secondary and I think he's got a chance to go in there and at least battle for some playing time early on. They've had injuries and a couple of guys dismissed in the secondary. I think those things played a big factor. He's never really sat on the bench his entire high school career. Every kid looks at that opportunity to play early as a deciding factor."

Roberts is rated the nation's No. 14 cornerback prospect by the 247Composite rankings.